Have you ever thought about how dangerous a printer might be? Yes, it may explode while you’re using, but it may also be hacked. It sees all the sensitive information you send to it for it to print, yet we never really thought about giving a printer an antivirus. Many appliances in our ‘internet of things’ (IoTs) have this issue. Which is why at the recent Cyber Resilience And Info Security Conference, a panel of industry experts discuss the possibility.

Many people often leave their printers connected to the internet. These printers also have storage devices to hold your files as you print. It also lacks any real form of security against hackers; this means it’s a prime target for anyone attempting to get your data. If you don’t believe me, watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqibWHfn_Yc

Well are you worried yet? These industry experts definitely are: Jason Lim, Vice President of Cyber Security in Wiki Labs; Clement Arul, Managing Director of Kaapagam Tech; Saurabh Sarawat, Managing Partner of Across Verticals; and Rodney Lee, CEO of DNeX Tech.

With us using modern ‘smart’ appliances more, it brings with it a world of danger. We often leave these devices connected to the internet 24/7 without  Jason Lim points out that without cyber-security in place, the internet of things brings with it trouble. He asks for people to look at the pros and cons of these ‘smart’ devices in this age of interconnectedness. In fact, it may even be more dangerous than a typical computer hacker. Jason points out that while you lose data when a hacker gets into your computer, you may lose your life when a hacker gets into your ‘smart’ car.

Clement points out that there remains a lack of a security framework in place for manufacturers. As the internet of things continue to become part of our life, the problem exists when we don’t understand the issues with it. These smart devices continue to record activities even when you don’t use it. A lot of us have multiple devices at risk, and when just one device is compromised an entire network is at risk. He asks that all parties – consumers, manufacturers and governments – must do their part to ensure minimal cyber-security risks.

Another issue that Saurabh points out is that manufacturers often neglect security issues as they race to get products out. Indeed, people also do the same as they buy the latest products without worrying about security. Sometimes this isn’t an issue however; Saurabh says that over time, many companies often patch in security fixes and updates. The consumer can also play a role in staying safe too; you can check and change your ‘share’ settings on many devices to protect your data.

Rodney meanwhile advises people to not fall for marketing tricks. We often only need just 30% of all the security features that we buy. He asks that people be careful with buzzwords and demos, and to do your own research.